The present invention relates to an insulation-displacement-contact connector.
The connector assembly as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-16109 comprises a female connector on the upper side of an electrical junction box and a separate male connector which can mate with the female connector. The female connector houses plug pins which are integral with a bus bar. The male connector houses socket pins. When the female and male connectors mate, their plug and socket pins also mate, ensuring electrical contact between them.
The connector as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,741 comprises a connector housing which can hold electric wires. The connector can be inserted into a mating material which has protruding insulation-displacement-contact pins. When the connector is inserted into the mating material, the insulation-displacement-contact pins cut through wire insulation to reach metal conductors inside, ensuring electrical contact between the pins and the wires.
The connector assembly according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-16109 uses pins on each of the female and male connectors, and thereby costs more than a connector assembly requiring pins only on its female connector. The connector according to U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,741 is not reliable enough to hold wires tight in its connector housing so that the wires will not get loose when pushed up by insulation-displacement-contact pins.